Saturday, March 11, 2023

Action Figure Review: Nekron (Blackest Night) from DC Multiverse by McFarlane Toys

 



   Today I'm checking out another DC Multiverse Megafig from last year: Nekron! I honestly probably wouldn't have picked up Nekron on his own even though he's a really cool looking figure, but the only way I could manage to get Bane at retail price was by preordering a set and Nekron was the other figure in the case. On second thought, if I had seen Nekron in person and on sale, I probably would have picked him up. While I'm a huge DC fan (mostly because of Batman and everything/ everyone related to him), I really don't care much for the Green Lantern Corps stuff. I like the Green Lanterns just fine as part of a Justice League story, but it's just my least favorite part of the DC Universe. I'm familiar with Blackest Night, though, and that's the story that this figure is "sourced" to in this line. Nekron, the personification of death and ruler of the Land of the Unliving, is a pretty powerful being in the DC Universe and he's been tackled before as an action figure by Mattel in DC Universe Classics (he was a build-a-figure) and by DC Direct in their Blackest Night series. I've never owned those previous figures, but McFarane's looks the most impressive. Let's see how he measures up after the break...






The Facts:

Height: 10 inches

Articulation: Hinged toes, swivel/hinge ankles, double hinged knees, thigh swivel, swivel/hinge hips, balljointed waist, swivel/hinge shoulders w/ balljointed sockets, bicep swivels, double hinged elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, and a barbell jointed head.

Accessories: Scythe, disc stand, and collectible card.

Year of Release: 2022

Original Retail Price: $40 dollars





The Positives:




* Nekron is the second tallest of the DC Multiverse Megafigs I own at 10 inches tall (Swamp Thing is taller). He definitely dwarfs the regular sized heroes. He's not as thick or bulky as other figures like Man-Bat or Bane, but he's certainly a very imposing presence, taller than any build-a-figures I can think of in recent memory. 










* The sculpt and paintwork on Nekron is some of the best I've seen on a DC Multiverse figure. He honestly looks like he could fit right in with your Spawn collection. It's the impressive sculpt and paint detail that definitely catches my attention, even for a character who I wasn't really wanting, and gets me excited to see how he looks on the shelf with other villains. His lower body is detailed, though mostly all black, but his upper torso is a fantastic mixture of black, gray, and silver that really draws your attention to his zombie-like design. He definitely looks like a dessicated corpse clad in a black robe and the way his robe piece is actually a separate part from his chest really helps to give the figure more depth. 

* Hey, it's Spawn! No, just kidding. It's totally Nekron. All those rotting dead guys with crazy teeth kind of look alike though, don't they? This is an excellent sculpt with a fantastic wash that really brings out the detail. I'd say that my biggest complaint with McFarlane Toys' current product is that they sometimes seem to go light on painted details, but Nekron doesn't suffer that fate. He's excellent with all the nooks and crannies of his skull highlighted. 




* Nekron shows off his withered heart residing inside of his chest. It seems like that would be revealing his weak point, but I guess when you're as bad of a mammer jammer as this guy you can afford to flaunt your weaknesses when taunting your foes. Wouldn't it be cool if the heart was removable? 







* Here's a shot from the back to show off the work on his rotten skin, which has given way to an exposed spine. You can also see the creepy collar he wears. It's not removable but it is a separate piece over the figure's neck that is attached to his back. I like how Nekron's grim reaper styled hood is hanging low down, too. It's a neat detail I didn't catch at first.





* Nekron has that weird collar on his neck and one on his left wrist. It's also a separate piece, made from a softer, rubbery material.


* While Nekron doesn't have any mid-torso articulation and his lower body might be a bit inhibited by his robe, he really is quite well articulated. The articulation just flows with the sculpt and he looks absolutely intimidating in whatever pose you put him in. I'm still impressed by how sturdy and high quality McFarlane Toys' figures feel. The original Spawn figures came out when I was in 5th grade and while they were insanely cool, they were pretty fragile at times. The same can be said for the McFarlane stuff I picked up in middle school and high school: McFarlane Monsters, Spawn: The Movie, Spawn: The Dark Ages, Austin Powers, and Movie Maniacs. Cool stuff, but meant to sit on the shelf rather than mess around with. I feel more confident messing around with the DC Multiverse stuff than about anything else on the market these days. Whenever we put on a movie or a TV show at home, I tend to grab an action figure or too and mess around with it while we're watching, and these are just great hand candy, so to speak. 




* Nekron's scythe is pretty impressive. It's huge, the shaft looks to be made of wood with all of the sculpted knots and spots where branches and twigs were broken off, and the blade is black with a base that is the lantern of the Black Lanterns. It's almost 10 inches long, too, so taller than most figures in the line.






* A collectible card is also included with the figure sporting a cover from the Blackest Night storyline. It's also nice to get an actual bio on the back. Not just a bio on the package; an actual bio you can keep. That's just really cool and it's not something we often get these days.




* I still love that McFarlane Toys includes a display stand with each of their releases these days. It's just a simple disc stand with the DC logo on it but it works well and keeps the figure standing upright in most poses. Nekron's a big figure and stands pretty well so he might not absolutely need this, but it's still a useful piece to have around. 

   Nekron really impressed me. For a figure I wasn't really looking forward to, he absolutely won me over. Whether you pose him as part of your DC collection, with your Spawn figures, or just with a bunch of horror toys, he's a fearsome figure. He would have made a great addition to 31 Days of Toy Terror, right? He's a Great and a 1/2 figure and if you find him on sale (he's available for less than his retail price at many e-tailers) he's an absolute winner. 






This is the first figure of Nekron I've reviewed. For more figures from DC Multiverse check out the following:
Harley Quinn (The Suicide Squad)
Man-Bat (DC Rebirth)








9 comments:

  1. Though I am not a big DC fan, the Blackest Night story arc figures were always some of my favorites. THis guy is a great addition.

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    1. Sometime I really do need to sit down and read at least the main Blackest Night storyline. The whole Green Lantern core and cosmic DC stuff just doesn't interest me that much, which is odd as I like most of Marvel's cosmic stuff.

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  2. Well, it looks scary and cool. The only issue i hace is that i don't like to see the heart, but it's because somehow it looks a bit gruesome to me. Still, i understand that a creature like this prefers to show his heart as a way to infuse fear to his enemies. Maybe it can also work as a full rage/hate custom version of the Ghost Rider, who knows.

    I have news for Classified, seems that one of the Snowjob promo images shows an Arctic B.A.T., and being honest, that enrages me a bit. Four B.A.T. versions are way too much IMO when we still lack the original Jungle B.A.T., and a second Bazooka variation with just the same equipment but a red t-shirt feels like an insult to me. What will be next, a Crimson Cobra Commander without the hood to add more insult to the insult?

    Still, Nekron's review is really good, and maybe with a robe you can do it a Death impersonator, ha, ha, ha!

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  3. I did see the Arctic B.A.T. and he looks quite cool. See, I like the classic Bazooka. We knew he was coming, so anyone was free to skip the Tiger Force version. I really like the paint applications on his missiles. That's a small thing but a really cool touch.

    The Jungle Bat was a cool figure, but I'd want to see some new accessories with future B.A.T.S. and not just the same stuff over again.

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  4. Well, my problem with the repaints it's not that they are a repaint, obviously, because Bazooka's shells look cool on the standart repaint version. And the Arctic B.A.T. looks cool, i have to reckon it. Like the Python Patrol Viper variant, which also looks decent for my eyes

    What enrages me it's that the repaints always have the same accesories over and over again. I would prefer to pay (if i had the money, of course) a bit more just to have more accesories instead of always recycling the same ones over and over and over again. Like the Cobra Vallyries 2-pack, it's just the same equipment on both figures except for the heads and helmets. The Viper 3-pack can be more expensive but it offers more diversity IMO.

    Also, the Snake Eyes and Timber (2022) release was an insult for me. They just decide to pack him the Alley Viper weapons instead of the Alpha Commandos version ones? Or Sgt. Slaughter having the same Cobra Officer AK-esque rifle? What happens, the Joes reuse COBRA's weapons like if we play Grand Theft Auto or Max Payne?

    Apart of the repaint theme, i found out some cool things, like that the Retro CG looks cool with Cobra Commander's silver blaster pistol (as it coincides with the silverish paint applications of the CG), Cobra Commander looks cool with the Alley Viper modern rifle or the CG pistol, or that the B.A.T.s can be used as some sort of Dr. Eggman's robot substitutes. Maybe call them Eggsnake Troopers, ha, ha! After all, who said imagination is only for kids?

    Oh, for curiosity, i saw that you made reviews of a lot of Hasbro figures but i never saw you doing a Lightning Collection figure. You don't have interest on them, or are them not availaible where you live? Because i swear that if you manage to get a Magna Defender you will enjoy reviewing it, as it offers a lot of options to customize it.

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    1. I totally agree with you about Hasbro doing too many repaints that don't have any thought. If they at least switched weapons up, or even offered one or two new pieces, I'd be a lot happier. I'd love for an Artic B.A.T. and a Junge B.A.T. to have more unique weapons. The Valkyries pack doesn't bother me, as it's a standard kit for the troops with at least a couple different weapons if you want variety but some uniformity if you're looking for that, too.

      I don't fully understand the second Apha Commandos set, either. I love the Alley Viper weapons, but it was just a weird set. I don't own it.

      The only Lightning Collection figures I own are a Pumpkin Rapper (because I collect things with Jack o'Lantern heads) and a Zeo Cog that I found at a bin store for $4 bucks. I liked Power Rangers a lot for a short while when I was in... maybe fourth to fifth grade, but I just don't have as much nostalgia for it as others and I never kept up with it. I did collect some of the Bandai Legacy stuff about ten years ago, but I ended up selling. Nice figures, just not somewhere I'm diverting my funds.

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    2. Well, in my case, the only Power Rangers shows i fully know are MMPR (For being the first in Europe and the most popular) and PR:Samurai (The only one i fully watched, funnily because the TV programming at that time was horrible and boring and Samurai was the only thing better to watch than the horrible adaptation of an UK quiz show that in fact is the adaptation of another obscure quiz show). I know a bit about S.P.D. and Dino Thunder but not much.

      The reasons i got a Phantom Ranger and Magna Defender are quite funny. Magna Defender, as you know, because he was a substitute to the Black Series Darth Vaders, as the price for Uncle Vader is quite high for the lack of accesories.

      The Phantom Ranger it's even funnier, as it reminds me a lot of Charlie Sheen's "The Wraith", and as The Wraith never got a figure, the Phantom Ranger took his place instead. You know, as the meme says: "Modern Problems Require Modern Solutions".

      Apart of that ones i had no more interest for Lightning Collection figures. Only ones i would try to get if they were made in a future would be all fron Samurai: Dayu and Deker (so they can finally be together, i hated how the show ended for them and i don't want to make spoilers here), and Serrator (as Serrator is the perfect example of "individuals that proved to be worse than contractors and used car salesmen" and i can make him work as some sort of COBRA Spokesman or an evil company's Executive Vicepresident, ha, ha, ha!). Still, i bet it will be a long time for them to show.

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    3. How have I never heard of the Wraith before? Sounds interesting.

      The Magna Defender is pretty cool. That's funny that he's your Darth Vader stand in, but I can see it. I have so many Black Series Vaders but I definitely want a battle damaged one from Kenobi whenever he inevitably gets released.

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    4. Well, The Wraith is a decent film, at least in my eyes. Maybe it's like "The Car" or "Highwaymen (2003)", which are decent films but not so well known. Still, my Phantom Ranger acts like the Phantom Ranger, but who knows if Charlie is inside it, ha, ha!

      And well, Magna Defender and Darth Vader have similar stories. Both were good individuals who ended wearing black armors with capes and driven to the evil side for the loss of someone who liked (in the case of the Magna Defender his son Krantz by the hand of the Space Pirates if i remember well), and both actually manage to redeem themselves and join the "light/good" side back thanks to their own sons but dying after redeeming, making both heroes of their respective franchises and sacrificing themselves to save the universe. Also, both had their legacy continued by someone (which in Magna Defender's case was by Mike Corbett, but i don't complain about the figure lacking Mike Corbett's head, after all, it's the original Magna Defender, not the sucessor).

      This sadly doesn't work in the Japanese Super Sentai show, as the Magna Defender (called BullBlack there) acts as an antihero/villain trying to kill the Space Pirates villains as they killed their brother at all costs, even if it meant harming innocents. He also redeems at the end and dies as he realizes what he did was wrong, though.

      But who knows, maybe Anakin's Force Spirit is inside my Magna Defender too, who knows!

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